The Pyramidis Project - 2015 - Emotional Distances

(49:18; Pyramidis Audio)

Track list:
1. Emotions 6:49
2. Distances 4:59
3. Far from Home 4:16
4. Treachery 5:06
5. Crossing Bosporus 5:03
6. Secrets of Ocean Life, Pt. 1 5:16
7. Secrets of Ocean Life, Pt. 2 2:33
8. Mistreated 3:28
9. Örnsköldsvik 5:15
10. White Swan 4:59
11. Coda 1:34

Line-up:
Marcus Krüger - drums
Mario Buchinger - drums, guitars, keyboards
Thomas Grahl - guitars
Jonas Grahl - guitars, vocals
Loreno Buss - saxophone
Moni Francis - vocals
Simon Schaller - vocals


Austrian venture The Pyramidis Project released one EP and two albums some years back and then went silent after this, albeit reappearing with a couple of singles in 2021. "Emotional Distances" is the second and so far most recent studio album by this project, and was released through the Pyramidis Audio label in 2015.

I understand that some of the inspirations behind this project was the music of artists such as Mike Oldfield and Pink Floyd, and the reason I got this as well as the previous CD in my hands back in the day is due to a role I have as a reviewer of progressive music at a specific website. Since I have chosen not to publish this review at that website, it is perhaps needless to say that I don't hear all that many ideas interesting for progressive rock fans on this album. And to be blunt, this is also an album that I feel is a tad underdeveloped in terms of both ideas and execution.

The very best part about this album is the mix and production. The people working on this project know their way around mixing and producing an album, and the mastering comes across as more than decent too. From a technical point of view this is an interesting production to lend an ear too.

The music itself ranges from pleasant enough to flawed however. There are many fine but not overly engaging moments to enjoy here, and there is a talent here for both a light toned and positive variety of techno, for a smooth and pleasant variety of synth pop with a rich arrangement, and for excursions that explore landscapes with more of an ambient touch and feel. While none of these songs are deeply engaging, they are pleasant moments of the genres explored now and will probably come across as much the same a decade from now too.

Other songs just come across as a bit off and a bit too bland, a combination that can be detrimental. While this is obviously founded on personal taste in music, for me at least the ELO goes Americana style of 'Far From Home' is just a bit too far from home, the piano ballad goes synth pop and pop rock landscapes of 'Mistreated' just doesn't come with the engaging emotions a track like that needs from the instrument side or the vocal side of matters, and the Mike Oldfield meets synth pop landscapes of 'White Swan' is a bit more of an ugly duckling that never comes to the transformative stage.

As an album experience this production reminds me of a recent experience I had at German store Lidl, where I bought a packet of beef jerky. The bag had the right design with cows, US flag patterns and promises of a high quality content. Everything looked good and just right, and the smell was tantalizing too, but the beef jerky itself consisted of thin slices of slightly moist meat that looked and tasted more like roast beef than actual beef jerky.

This album is an audio equivalent of that. The CD and packaging has an excellent look and design. The mix and production has a quality many artists can only dream of having, and while not in the Steven Wilson department the quality is good to solid in the technical department. But the music itself is a bit of a letdown.

Those with a passionate interest in synth pop and ambient music may want to inspect this album of course, as many with a passionate interest will uncover nuggets of gold in their special field of interest where others can't hear all that much that is interesting. And those with a particular interest in mixing and production will probably find some interesting details when listening through this album too. But for others, this is a good example of an album one needs to sample to see if the music is engaging or not. And while I'm not a prophet by any means, I am fairly certain that this production is a niche production in terms of potential commercial reach.

Olav M. Björnsen, February 2023

Links:
https://fm4.orf.at/soundpark/t/thepyramidisproject/
https://www.pyramidis-audio.com/